The present invention relates to a multi-functional printer.
In the state of the art, a number of printers capable of xe2x80x9cdirectxe2x80x9d printing are known. Direct printing in the context of the present invention means that the printer is placed on the image receiving medium, usually manually, and the printing means of the printer or the entire printer then scans over the image receiving medium in the printing operation. Thus, the medium is not fed through the printerxe2x80x94as in most office printersxe2x80x94but the printer moves over the medium.
Such a printer is known from ER 564297 A. The printer is manually positioned on an image receiving medium and has an ink jet print head which scans in two orthogonal directions over the image receiving medium. The printer is connected to a computer and capable, for example, of printing addresses onto envelopes, but can also be used separately from the computer for printing data downloaded from the computer to the printer.
Another ink jet printer that is placed on a printing medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,730. This printer is provided with a keyboard for inputting data, but can also print images downloaded from a computer. The print head scans over the image receiving medium along a special path, e.g., helically or like a pendulum.
DE 3142937 A refers to a so-called hand stamp which is placed manually on the image receiving medium. It can print data downloaded from an accounting machine, or images consisting of user-selected fixed phrases. The hand stamp has a thermal print head and an ink ribbon for printing.
The direct printers known in the prior art are thus capable of printing an image onto an image receiving medium, and make use of a scanning print head. Thus, they can only perform one function, which is printing. On the other hand, a number of purposes for a scanning device can be imagined, for which such a device could be used, as well.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a printer of the type having a scanning print head, which allows for use of the printer for printing and for purposes different than printing.
According to the invention, there is provided a printer having a housing and a scanning means provided in the housing. The scanning means is arranged to move in two different directions within the housing. The printer also includes a mounting means for releasably mounting a print head to the scanning means, and an aperture provided within the housing. The aperture is arranged to be placed on, or adjacent to, a medium such that the print head, when mounted, is operable to print onto the medium through the aperture. The mounting means is arranged to accommodate a holding means which holds a machining device for machining the medium.
The proposed solution is to use the mounting means for fixing a holding unit to the scanning means instead of, or in addition, to the print head being fixed to the scanning means. The holding unit holds a machining device for machining the image receiving medium. Thus, the printer can be used for printing, when the print head is mounted to the mounting means, and alternatively or additionally, for machining a medium on which it is mounted. The scanning means then moves the machining device over the medium which is being machined.
An advantage of the invention is that the printer is not only suitable for printing, but can be used for another purpose, as well. This second purpose is to machine a medium.
In particular, the machining device can be a cutting blade, a rotating milling cutter, or a rotating drill. Since these tools normally have to be rotated when the medium is machined, the printer, or more particularly, the holding means which can be released from the printer and holds the machining device, is provided with rotating means for rotating the machining device with respect to the machined medium. In particular, the holding means can be provided with a motor for rotating the machining device, whereby the motor is electrically connected to a controlling unit of the printer via a connector which is normally connected to the print head of the printer. Thus, the electrical connection for the print head also serves for providing the motor of the holding means with electrical power. The machining device is preferably releasably connected to the holding means.
The medium which is machined by the machining device is preferably a stencil. Thus, the user can place the printerxe2x80x94to which the machining device is mountedxe2x80x94upon a blank stencil material, and, by machining, engrave a desired image or pattern into the stencil material. This machined material can then be mounted onto a stamp apparatus. It should be noticed that instead of a stencil material, also other materials can be machined. For example, glass or metal plates could be engraved.
The machining device is held by the holding means, which is accommodated in the mounting means instead of the print headxe2x80x94or, in another embodiment of the invention, additionally to the print head.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a printer having a housing, a scanning means, a mounting means, and an aperture. The scanning means is provided in the housing and arranged to move within the housing. The mounting means mounts an ink jet print head provided with an ink supply to the scanning means. The aperture is provided within the housing and arranged to be placed on, or adjacent to, an image receiving medium such that the print head, when mounted, is operable to print onto the image receiving medium through the aperture. The ink supply preferably contain a security ink.
Additionally, there is provided a method of printing security images onto an image receiving medium, including the steps of providing a printer with a housing and a scanning means in the housing, mounting an ink jet print head provided with an ink supply containing security ink to the scanning means, providing an aperture within the housing, placing the aperture on, or adjacent to, the image receiving medium such that the print head can print onto the image receiving medium through the aperture, and scanning the print head with the scanning means within the housing and thereby spitting the security ink according to a desired pattern onto the image receiving medium.
In the prior art, it is known to use normal rubber stamps for providing entry receipts onto the hand or forearm of a visitor of a concert event, discotheque, or other event. Such rubber stamps can be used in combination with security inks, which, for example, are only visible when illuminated with ultraviolet light. A disadvantage of the prior art is that the rubber stamps are easily counterfeited, while the security ink can be easily obtained in the market. Thus, the security of these entry receipts is quite low.
The second aspect of the invention proposes to replace the rubber stamps with a direct printer, i.e., a printer with an ink jet head scanning over the image receiving medium and spitting a security ink onto the medium, according to a desired pattern. Thus, the security, for example, of entry receipts printed onto the hand or forearm of a user is significantly improved, since the printed image can be altered electronically, and thus with a high frequency (as for example daily), such that it will hardly be possible to make a rubber stamp copy of it before the user of the printer has already chosen a new pattern to be printed as an entry receipt. Furthermore, the printing resolution will normally be much better than any details which can be produced with a rubber stamp.
The security ink is preferably provided in a special ink cartridge. The cartridge can contain the printing nozzles, or be connected to a separate printing unit having nozzles.
Further, the security ink can be of any number of types. One such type is chemical marker ink, i.e., invisible ink which can be made visible by means of a pencil containing a developer liquid, as disclosed in DE 19646156 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,925, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,587, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is ink containing a luminescent substance, which transmits light with a different wavelength compared with the wavelength of the light which the ink is illuminated, as disclosed in EP 680411 A, the contents of are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is UV fluorescent ink, which fluoresces under UV light, as disclosed in ER 730250 A, ER 267215 A, or EP 3187 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Yet another type of security ink that can be used with the present invention is magnetic ink, which contains magnetic particles, which can be detected by means of a special detector making use of polarization of light provided by the magnetic particles, as disclosed in ER 632398 A, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is phosphorescent ink, which still phosphoresces after it has been illuminated, as disclosed in ER 770969 A or ER 766198 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink for use with the present invention are photo chromic inks, which alter their optical appearance under illumination, as disclosed in ER 716387 A, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.